


Figurative Skating

by phantompromise



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 21:21:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9345986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantompromise/pseuds/phantompromise
Summary: Victor decides to take a different approach to the Yuris' routines for the next Grand Prix. Instead of the stories of Eros and Agape, they'll each write their own story for their program, and when that doesn't work, they have to try writing each other's program. The Yuris learn about each other while Victor learns about himself. Victor's past takes a toll on him as he approaches his return to the ice. Does he want to crush his students, now his rivals, and take the gold? Or does he want to give up what he has worked for his whole life and watch from the sidelines? But, more importantly, will Yurio ever stop writing programs about tigers?





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a very involved multi-chapter thing so bear with me! The chapters are gonna be kinda short because I am a busy lady but the story I have in mind is pretty long. ALSO I'd like to point out that character development is a thing so if I focus a lot on a character's flaws it doesn't mean I hate them or that I think they're bad, it just means I like to fuck up my guys real good and make them grow as people. 
> 
> There may be some real gay stuff in the future. Like maybe some frisky bits but who knows. (I know and the answer is yes)
> 
> Let me know what you think!

 

* * *

Chapter 1: J Mac

* * *

 

 

It wasn’t the first time Yuuri had found himself in this situation. He had been minding his own business listening to music on his bed when Victor decided he was bored and launched himself, albeit gracefully, onto Yuuri with the force of a Zamboni. He somehow managed to dislodge Yuuri’s headphones from his phone and read the song title and artist off of Yuuri’s phone screen. The thing was, Yuuri had recently become infatuated with American pop after Phichit introduced him to some early 2000s hit tunes and Yuuri had been conducting “research” this past week that consisted of dancing and singing elaborate routines in the shower to Jesse McCartney’s _Beautiful Soul_. Embarrassed by this, he had been running his musical experiments in secret and it was only because he was in a trusting mood that he dared have his headphones in with Victor in the room. It was also because he was stupid and didn’t think ahead. That wasn’t all, though, because things always seemed to get worse for him before he had a chance to explain himself. Victor, who had a vast knowledge of pop culture because he was a strategic performer and knew how most popular trends could serve him, immediately recognized the song and smiled at Yuuri, who interpreted this as condescending. It was at that moment; Yuuri’s face a deep red, his legs intertwined with Victor’s on the bed, Victor smiling just inches from his face with headphones untidily wrapped around their bodies, that Yurio happened to enter the room.

There was a moment of silence and eye contact before Yurio slammed the door and Yuuri heard loud footsteps race down the hall.

“No—!” Yuuri launched himself off of the bed and instantly tripped over the headphones that had been tied around the two of them, “Yurio, wait! It wasn’t like that!” He crawled up the doorframe into a standing position and ran down the hall after him. Victor, on the other hand, had been about to tell Yuuri that he loved the aforementioned embarrassing song and wanted him to play it out loud. He was confused about why Yuuri had looked so terrified when Victor had seen the song, but was always glad to get Yuuri out of his comfort zone. He also had the understanding that Yurio didn’t actually care that much and was mostly just jealous of the two of them.

It came to Victor’s attention a long time ago that Yuuri had a crippling fear of judgment. Victor had tried hard to push him out of it but Yuuri was stubborn. He knew that Yuuri just thought he was unlucky, but in reality it was his fear of his own reputation that had caused this entire mess. Either way, Victor was busying himself now by enjoying the thought of actually doing what Yurio had thought they were doing. That would’ve been way more fun.

Meanwhile, in Yuuri’s kitchen, a war had begun. Yuuri’s sister had taken Yurio’s side and Minako, who was already pretty drunk despite the fact that it was noon, had taken Yuuri’s. She made a pretty bad soldier in this particular war though, as Yuuri was quickly finding out.

“I swear; we weren’t doing anything!” Yuuri said.

“I don’t care if you were or not, pork cutlet bowl. You guys can stir fry together all you want, just leave me out of it!”

“But we weren’t doing anything, Yurio, I was just listening to music and then...you know Victor...”

Minako chose this moment to strike, “Charmed by Yuuri’s concentration on the music and jealous of his lover’s new fascination with Jesse McCartney, Victor must have been overwhelmed with emotion and betrayal.”

“Minako, stop!” Yuuri yelled. Minako’s voice dropped to a dramatic whisper as if to reassure Yuuri that she had this. She did not have this.

“So the heartbroken man did all he could do in that moment to keep the love of his life from falling for another, and showed him his affection with a passionate ki—”

“STOP!” Yuuri screamed, “That is not what happened at all!”

“Did you say,” Yurio paused for a second to keep his laughter at a reasonable volume, “Jesse McCartney?”

Yuuri glared at his ballet teacher with horrified betrayal. “Huh?” she said, “Was that a secret?”

Yuuri put his hand to his forehead and sat down at the kitchen table. Minako tried to reassure him, “I mean, we were practicing to his music in the studio at your request so I thought you—”

“Minako, please,” he said, defeated, “Your mouth. Just. Close it.” She obeyed but not before first taking a swig of the gin she had been holding during this entire conversation. Victor chose that moment to make his presence known.

“Victor!” Yuuri pleaded, “Can you please clarify what Yurio saw earlier?”

Everyone’s attention shifted to Victor, who was still in his bathrobe and mainly just wanted to get practice started already. “What she said. All true,” he concluded.

“Ha!” Minako yelled, quickly remembering Yuuri’s request and putting a hand over her mouth. Yuuri had given up at this point. Yurio, on the other hand, was now leaning over the counter laughing with Yuuri’s sister.

“Thanks, Victor,” Yuuri glared.

“You’re welcome,” he smiled.

Victor’s goal wasn’t just to torture Yuuri, though that was a fun byproduct. Humiliation was sometimes the key to getting Yuuri to laugh at himself. It was all part of Victor’s big coaching plan to help Yuuri grow as a person and stop taking himself so seriously. But mostly it just made Yuuri upset and then Victor felt bad about it. He was still trying to get this whole mentor thing down.

After the Grand Prix, Victor realized that he had laid out quite an intense challenge for himself. Two men younger than him had now beaten his world record by a relatively steep margin. He was proud of them because both of those men had been students of his. He cared for them, but there was still a part of him that was brutally competitive. He was jealous of the two of them but far more jealous than he wanted to admit. He wasn’t ready to be removed from the throne just yet. He wasn’t physically capable of being outdone. He was Victor Nikiforov and it was his life’s work to be the best. A part of him wanted to crush both Yuuri’s into the dust, make them recognize their place on the pedestals beneath him. Victor was aware of this monster inside him, and he was terrified of it. Normally he wouldn’t think twice about crushing someone, but now things were different. He had accidentally fallen in love with these two in different ways, and it was changing him. The way Victor assigned the Yuris’ Eros and Agape routines last year was no accident. The love he had for the two of them matched the love that he had assigned them to portray on the ice.

Yurio’s sheer willpower and determination was so similar to Victor’s own that it worried him. Yurio was a louder, more headstrong version of Victor’s younger self. He wanted to be the mentor to Yurio that he himself had never had. He wanted to warn him of the dangers of overconfidence, of the guilt and sacrifice that come with being the best. He wanted to take care of Yurio, to stop him from becoming what Victor was now. He wanted him to be the Prince of the ice without having to hurt anyone else in the process. He couldn’t think of the right way to guide him, though, because he knew that Yurio was just as stubborn as he was. But Victor was an idealist. A dreamer. His father had always reminded him of that fact. To dream you have to sleep, he used to say. If you sleep away your life you may as well be dead.

Yuuri, on the other hand, was a completely different problem. He was beautiful and terrible because he wasn’t aware of his own strengths but perfectly capable of using them. He could completely dominate Victor’s mind to the point where he couldn’t concentrate on anything else and Yuuri would act blameless, like he had never considered himself something worth thinking about. It drove Victor insane. His whole life he was taught to know his own strengths and harness them in order to win. Victor’s strength was his beauty, his ability to surprise an audience and keep them guessing. Yuuri was always keeping Victor guessing, always being beautiful and thinking he was average. It was the reason Victor was even here in the first place. That kind of talent was dangerous, and Yuuri didn’t even consider it a talent. A part of Victor hated Yuuri for it. He acted like what Victor invested in him wasn’t worth it. By insulting himself, he was insulting the people who loved him, which Victor considered the worst thing anyone could possibly do. He also couldn’t help but be jealous. Yuuri had all these people who believed in him, and he didn’t even bat an eye at them. Victor would have given anything to have been in a position like that. Yuuri Katsuki was Victor’s worst enemy and deepest desire. Yuuri Katsuki was a complete enigma and the most beautiful, endearing man he’d ever met. Yuuri Katsuki was a big problem.

So Victor was going to coach these two problems, then return to the ice because he was stubborn. For Victor, it wasn’t a choice. He had to return to the ice because being the best was ingrained in him. It was a way to motivate his students and himself. It was also a selfish way to keep Yuuri from leaving him.

...

The walk to the skating rink was beautiful as always. It had only been a few weeks since the three of them had arrived in Japan and Yuuri was starting to worry about the inevitable move to Russia he would have to make soon. They had decided, after the Grand Prix, that all of them would be training in Russia. The only reason they were in Japan currently was to let Yuuri pack and for nostalgia’s sake. Victor had said he wanted to go to the beach again, and Yurio wasn’t about to let the two of them go to Japan without him so he booked a flight before anyone could argue. It was their first day of training post-Grand-Prix and Yuuri was terrified. He was about to go to a foreign country to train with the best skaters in the world for the national gold medal. A part of him still felt unworthy, but he tried to quiet that part down and think of the good things. He was traveling with Victor Nikiforov. Who is...his fiancée...he would be...living with his fiancée...in Russia...alone...sleeping in the same...bed...

“Yuuri?”

He wanted to drop dead right there, “Yes! Victor!”

Victor muffled a laugh and pointed to Yuuri’s feet, “You might want to start putting your skates on.”

Yuuri yelled an apology, blushing all the way up to his hairline, as he ran to the locker room to get ready. It wasn’t until he heard Victor’s confused “huh?” that he realized he’d spoken Japanese. He meant to apologize in English this time but he just ended up yelling “WHOOPS” and closing the door. Yurio made sure to make a point of calling him a weirdo but his arsenal of insults was getting weaker the longer he was around the two of them. Sometimes, Yuuri was painfully reminded of how fifteen Yurio was. Either way, Yuuri shoved his face into his jacket, sighed, and starting putting on his skates.

“Alright you two,” Victor began once they’d all gathered on the ice, “I’ve put together a pretty intense training regimen for this season.”

“I can take it.” Yurio declared confidently, staring Victor down. Yuuri wasn’t quite sure what exactly their beef was. All he knew was that Yurio’s angry face was pretty funny.

“In order to skate well, you need to live well,” Victor began.

“Did you get that off a fortune cookie, gramps?”

With a smirk, Victor held up his index finger at Yurio in a crass attempt to get him to shut up. Yuuri was shocked at how effective it was, “In your most recent programs, Eros and Agape worked to guide your movements for you. Each movement had a connection to the story you were trying to portray on the ice: the story of love and it’s many forms. The two of you were focusing on moments that were very real in order to give your routine depth and meaning. What is important to us gives our lives color. It appears in our routines, the way we hold ourselves and present ourselves, and in the way we act. For example, Yurio’s reference to me as ‘gramps’ just now reflects how his love for his grandfather permeates even his speech. So, for now, I’ll take that as a compliment, Yurio.”

Yurio looked like he had just been punched, so he could only scoff and turn his head to the side. But that couldn’t stop him from listening to what Victor said next.

“What I would like you two to do before I discuss your routines with you is write me a story.”

“What?” It was said in unison. The two Yuris looked at each other in disbelief and then back at their coach. There was a short pause as Victor breathed in their surprise and confusion. It was like it fueled the guy.

“So we’re supposed to write you a novel or what?” Yurio yelled, “You want us to get you an ice cream while we’re at it?”

“Good idea! That’ll be bonus points.”

“Huh?!” Yurio yelled back.

“Hmm, you’re right. That might not be the best thing for my figure.”

“Who cares about your figure? What is writing a stupid story supposed to do?” Yurio said.

Yuuri interjected at that point because the setup was just so perfect, “They don’t call it _figure_ skating for nothing.” His delivery was a little matter-of-fact but it was his nature. There was a short silence as Yuuri’s face once again turned red. “Sorry.”

Victor belted out a laugh and Yurio looked like he was ready to fly back to Russia and give up figure skating entirely. “Anyway,” Yurio grimaced, “I’m not here to take writing class, I’m here to skate!”

“Writing is skating, Yurio,” Victor tried to level with him but he was too busy recovering from Yuuri’s joke to complete his thought.

“You mean I’ve wasted all this money on ice skates and dance lessons when I could’ve just sat in my room, typed up an essay and been done with it? What am I supposed to do at the Grand Prix? Stand in the center of the rink and recite Shakespeare?”

“Yurio.” Victor’s voice thundered through the room. Yuuri thought he could feel flakes of ice begin to fly from the power of it, “That’s enough.”

Yurio shut up.

“As I was saying,” Victor continued, “Skating is about both the mind and the body. This exercise is going to provide you with the context on which you will base your entire performance. It is what will inform your movements. It’s the ice that you will skate on. I want you to write a story that has some relevance to your life. It can be as long as you’d like but it should be at least a paragraph or so. It can be just a moment that meant a lot to you, a pivotal event in your life, a memory, or anything like that. It just needs to be something that reveals more about you than what is there on the surface. This will be due at the end of the week!”

“What is he, our English teacher?” Yurio whispered to himself.

Yuuri’s hand shot up in the air. Victor pointed to him with his entire arm extended, “Yes, Yuuri!”

“Victor, sir! I have a question!” Yuuri said. Yurio’s eyes rolled so far in the back of his head that he briefly worried he may need medical assistance to return his eyes to normal.

“What is your question?”

“Can it be poetry?”

Victor’s eyes looked like they were sparkling after Yuuri said that and it made Yurio wanna barf, “Yes! Of course! I would love to read your poetry.”

“Okay!” Yuuri looked determined. Yurio’s eyes widened. What the hell was wrong with this guy? Upping the difficulty so casually?! Yurio tried to size him up from a distance: Yuuri’s game face was on and a dangerous aura of determination cloaked his entire body. He looked confident and collected. Yurio straightened up, too. He wasn’t gonna let Yuuri win at anything, not even a dumb poetry contest.

Yuuri, on the other hand, was completely panicking. Poetry?! Why the hell did he say that? He’s never written a poem in his life! What was he gonna write? Roses are red, violets are blue, I love ice skating, you should too?!

“I can’t wait to see what both of you have in store for me!” Victor smiled proudly at his two students, both of whom were currently in a riveting silent battle to see who was better at pretending to be confident. They were both walking into a world that they knew nothing about. With Victor’s words in the back of their mind, the two top ice skaters in the world entered the terrifying realm of creative writing.

 

 

 

 


End file.
